The WTA 250 Chennai Open women's singles final between Janice Tjen and Magda Linette was postponed to Monday due to severe air pollution caused by Diwali firecrackers
Tjen slammed the tournament organizers on Instagram, sharing a screenshot of a hazardous AQI over 1,500 and stating they originally wanted the match to go ahead
Magda Linette eventually claimed the title on Monday, staging a strong comeback to defeat Tjen 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 in a thrilling three-set final
'They Wanted Us To Play': Janice Tjen Slams Chennai Open Organisers As Hazardous 1500 AQI Forces Final Postponement
Janice Tjen expressed her frustration with Chennai Open organizers after the women's singles final was delayed due to severe Diwali smog. Despite the hazardous AQI, Tjen revealed officials initially wanted the match to proceed before finally postponing it to Monday
Summary
The women's singles final at the WTA 250 Chennai Open was postponed on Sunday, November 8, due to severe air pollution. The summit clash eventually took place on Monday, November 9, at the SDAT Tennis Stadium, where Magda Linette defeated Janice Tjen in a three-set thriller to claim the title.
However, the extreme air quality took center stage following the delay. While driving back to her hotel after the postponement, Tjen shared a story on Instagram featuring a screenshot of the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Peravallur, which had crossed a hazardous 1,500. Hitting out at the tournament organisers, she captioned the story: "And they still wanted the match to go ahead."
The match was originally scheduled for Sunday evening. However, a firecracker-heavy Diwali left the city engulfed in a thick layer of toxic smog, severely reducing visibility and posing serious health risks to the players.
Janice Tjen's Instagram story | Instagram/JaniceTjen
Sequence Of Events
The final was scheduled to take place at 6:30 PM on Sunday, following the doubles fixture. While the doubles final finished on time, the women's singles summit clash was interrupted by rain three times. Organisers announced the match would be played at 9 PM after the rain stopped.
However, firecrackers soon filled the sky with a thick layer of smog, creating an unhealthy environment and forcing the match to be pushed to the next day.
Both players had walked out to Centre Court and held a brief discussion with supervisor Sheetal Iyer before packing up their kit bags and leaving once again.
Later, in an official statement, the WTA said: “Due to unforeseen weather conditions, the Women’s Singles Final between Janice Tjen and Magda Linette has been postponed. The match will now take place tomorrow (November 9, 2026) at 11 a.m.”
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Linette Scripts Comeback
The final eventually got underway on Monday at 11 AM. Top seed Tjen took an early lead, winning the first set 7-5, before Linette bounced back in the second set to level the match.
The contest was pushed to a deciding final set, with both players bringing their A-game. The third-seeded Linette won the crucial points to pocket the match and the title, sealing a 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 victory.
The match was also halted for a brief moment on Monday due to 'extreme weather conditions.' Section XVIII of the tournament's standards of performance mentions the following regarding heat and humidity:
‘Modification of Play shall be defined as when the Heat Stress Index (WBGT) meets or exceeds 30.1 degrees Celsius/86.2 degrees Fahrenheit or when the Heat Index (Apparent Temperature) meets or exceeds 34.0 degrees Celsius/93.2 degrees Fahrenheit.’
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